Outer Plane

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In Dungeons & Dragons, the fantasy role-playing game, an Outer Plane is one of a number of general types of planes of existence. They can also be referred to as godly planes, spiritual planes or divine planes. The Outer Planes are home to beings such as deities and otherworldly creatures such as demons, celestials and devils. Each Outer Plane is usually the physical manifestation of a particular moral and ethical alignment and the entities that dwell there often embody the traits related to that alignment.

All Outer Planes are spatially infinite but are composed of features and locations of finite scope. Many of these planes are often split in to a collection of further infinites called layers, which are essentially sub-planes that represent one particular facet or theme of the plane. For example, Baator's geography is reminiscent of Hell as depicted in Dante's The Divine Comedy. In addition, each layer may also contain a number of realms. Each realm is the home to an individual deity, or occasionally a collection of deities.

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[edit] Standard D&D Cosmology

The standard Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) cosmology contains seventeen Outer Planes. Cosmologically, they are arranged in a ring of sixteen planes with the Good-aligned planes, or Upper Planes at the top, and the Evil-aligned planes, or Lower Planes at the bottom. The Lawful planes (or Planes of Law) sit to the left, and the Chaotic planes (or Planes of Chaos) to the right. Between all of these sit the Neutral planes, or the Planes of Conflict. One further plane sits in the centre of the ring, The Outlands, being neutral in alignment. At the center of the Outlands is a Spire of infinite height; the city of Sigil floats above the Spire's pinnacle. The standard D&D cosmology is the official cosmology used in the Planescape and Greyhawk campaign settings. Many of the alternative names derive from the 1st-edition Manual of the Planes (1987, ISBN 0-88038-399-2), and portrayed in the Planescape setting as the incorrect names used by the "Clueless", or characters from the Prime Material unfamiliar with the planes.

Clockwise from "top", the planes are:

Name Alternative Name(s) Alignment Description Notable native inhabitants
Elysium Blessed Fields Neutral good The plane of peace and unadulterated goodness.
  • Guardinals - noble immortal humanoids with bestial features
  • Pelor - The sun-deity
The Beastlands Happy Hunting Grounds Neutral good / Chaotic good The plane of idealized nature.
Arborea Arvandor, Olympus, Olympian Glades Chaotic good Fey realm of passion, abundance and nature's caprice.
Ysgard Asgard, Gladsheim, Heroic Domains Chaotic neutral / Chaotic good The eternal battleground where true heroes prove their valor.
Limbo Plane of Ever-Changing Chaos Chaotic neutral An alien, anarchistic and unpredictable plane.
Pandemonium Plane of Windswept Depths Chaotic evil / Chaotic neutral An infinite network of pitch-black catacombs, with winds that drive men mad.
The Abyss Plane of Infinite Layers Chaotic evil Evil lands of shocking perversity and unpredictable horror.
  • Tanar'ri (Demons) - Mortal enemies of the Baatezu
  • Lolth - Spider Goddess of the Drow
Carceri Tarterus, Tartarus Neutral evil / Chaotic evil Liars, cheats and traitors are imprisoned here by their own deceptions.
  • Nerull - God of murder and darkness
The Gray Waste Hades Neutral evil Here, all emotion and compassion is drained away, until only hopelessness, selfishness and apathy remain.
Gehenna Plane of Bleak Eternity Neutral evil / Lawful evil Volcanic realm of evil schemes and merciless cliffs.
Baator The Nine Hells Lawful evil The ultimate home of dictatorship, torment and devilish plots
Acheron The Infernal Battlefield Lawful neutral / Lawful evil A plane of constant, pointless war, where identity is forever lost.
Mechanus Nirvana Lawful neutral This clockwork plane is the ultimate in order; scholars and constructs live here.
Arcadia The Land of Perfect Order, Plane of Peaceable Kingdoms Lawful neutral / Lawful good A peaceful place where all live in harmony; consequently, it is quite dull.
Mount Celestia The Seven Heavens Lawful good Countless paladins and saints have ascended here.
Bytopia Twin Paradises Neutral good / Lawful good Gnomes and other industrious folk dwell here.
The Outlands Plane of Concordant Opposition True Neutral The plane between all other outer planes.

[edit] Alternative theories

Theories of organisation of the Outer Planes vary according to culture. Nordic lands see the plane of Ysgard as dominant over all others, in accordance with the importance they ascribe the powers there. Some Oriental lands see the planes not as separate regions, but as a single mass throughout which are scattered different agencies of the Celestial Bureaucracy, with the Celestial Emperor residing on one plane, and his Minister of State on another.

See also Alternative interpretations of the planes.

[edit] Forgotten Realms Cosmology

The Forgotten Realms cosmology currently contains twenty-six Outer Planes, arranged in a tree-like structure around the central 'trunk' of the material plane of Toril. Unlike the Outer Planes of the standard D&D cosmology which are heavily alignment-based, the Outer Planes of the Forgotten Realms cosmology are faith-based.

  • The Gates of the Moon
  • Golden Hills
  • Green Fields
  • Hammergrim
  • Helipolis
  • The House of Knowledge
  • The House of Nature
  • The House of the Triad
  • Jotunheim
  • The Nine Hells
  • Nishrek
  • The Supreme Throne
  • Warrior's Rest

[edit] Eberron Cosmology

The Eberron cosmology, used in the Eberron campaign setting contains thirteen Outer Planes. They exhibit traits similar to those of the standard D&D cosmology but also some (Irian and Mabar) appear more like Inner Planes. The cosmology is unique in that the Outer Planes orbit around Eberron through the Astral plane. As they orbit, their overlap with the material plane changes and access to those planes may become easier or restricted.

Name Alignment Enhanced magic Impeded magic Coterminous / Remote / Orbit
Law (strong) Lawful Chaotic 100 years / 100 years / 400 years
None Illusion None never / always / off orbit
  • Dolurrh, the Realm of the Dead
 None None All 1 year / 1 year / 100 years
  • Fernia, the Sea of Fire
 Evil Fire Cold 1 month / 1 month / 5 years
  • Irian, the Eternal Day
 None Positive energy Negative energy 10 days / 10 days / 3 years
  • Kythri, the Churning Chaos
 Chaos (strong) Chaotic Lawful erratic / erratic / erratic
  • Lamannia, the Twilight Forest
 None Druidic None 7 days / 7 days / 1 year
  • Mabar, the Endless Night
 None Negative energy Positive energy 3 days / 5 days / 5 years
  • Risia, the Plain of Ice
 Evil Cold Fire 1 month / 1 month / 5 years
  • Shavarath, the Battleground
 Varies Weapon-related Pacifying, charms 1 year / unknown / 36 years
  • Syrania, the Azure Sky
 Good (strong) Good Evil 1 day / 1 day / 10 years
  • Thelanis, the Faerie Court
 None Arcane None 7 years / 14 years / 225 years
  • Xoriat, the Realm of Madness
 Evil None None unknown / unknown / millennia

See also this excerpt from Chapter 5 of the Eberron Campaign Setting.

[edit] References

  • Baker, Richard; Wyatt J. (2004). Player's Guide To Faerûn. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-3134-5.
  • Baker, Keith (2004). Eberron Campaign Setting. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-3274-0.
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